Pair of Md. brothers may have ties to terror groups

WASHINGTON – Police think two local brothers may have ties to terror groups.

Both brothers are accused of leading a cigarette-smuggling ring that sold millions of cartons of untaxed cigarettes in New York. The two brothers are now behind bars after a year-long investigation.

Both Basel and Samir Ramadan lived in Ocean City, Md. Police found over $1.5 million in Basel Ramadan’s home, some of it stashed in black garbage bags.

Police say the gains from the cigarette business may have been funneled into terrorist groups. Some group members have links to known terrorists, including Omar Abdel Rahman, the blind cleric serving life in prison for conspiring to blow up New York City landmarks.

However, police say they have only found a fraction of the smuggling ring’s tens of millions of dollars.